NDP fiscal update defers bad news and serious decision making to a later day

Posted: August 23, 2017

Calgary (August 23, 2017) The 2017-18 first quarter fiscal update is deferring bad news to a later day, continuing a pattern of financial mismanagement while hoping for the price of oil to rebound.

“The NDP are simply kicking the can down the road, and are using financial sleight of hand to do it,” said Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark. “They are using accounting measures to distort the true state of the contingency account, while re-profiling capital dollars due to their inability to effectively deploy capital.”

“By re-profiling capital spending, the government is proving to Albertans that poor planning results in the inability to get dollars out the door. This leads to projects being announced, without being built or paid for. While this may artificially lower their capital spending, it comes at a hefty price, and at the end of the day it hurts Albertans more than it helps.”

“Budgets are about choices. The poor decision making shown by this government will cost Albertans. This update shows further evidence that poor planning on the part of the NDP creates problems that cost more than they need to.”

“I have yet to see any concrete plan the NDP has to get their spending in line, and I see no plans to start on a path towards balanced budgets. This government is continuing to cross their fingers and hope the price of oil goes up. Hope is not a strategy. That strategy was a bad idea for the former PC government, and is a bad idea for the NDP government today.”